The invention relates to a coffee pot having structures associated therewith that can provide both a visual and audible indication of the progress the coffee is making. In the past, there have been various proposals for providing audible indicators on coffee pots, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 579,666 and 2,630,113; however, such audible means are located in a position such that a visual indication of the coffee strength is not necessarily provided, and/or it is necessary to provide a stopper in the pot spout. According to the present invention, however, a visual indication of coffee strength is provided by the passage of the basket supporting tube into a transparent material dome on the lid, and the audible indication that the water in the coffee pot has started to boil is provided by a separate and distinct indicating means, which comprises a whistle means disposed on the coffee pot spout. The whistle means may have a nonconductive material knob formed thereon so that it is readily removable to facilitate pouring of the coffee through the spout, or the passageways in the spout may be formed so that the coffee may be poured with the whistle means in place on the spout.
Also, according to the present invention, other features are provided that enhance the coffee flavor while minimizing the amount of coffee that need be used. The basket is mounted on the tube so that it is near the base supporting the tube at the pot bottom, so that the coffee is normally immersed in the water during operation. Screens are provided at the tube base and inside the pot lid, and a plurality of openings are formed around the pot base to facilitate the passage of water upwardly through the tube. The screen disposed in the pot lid provides a snug fit for the tube to positively mount it in place extending upwardly into the transparent material dome, but is mounted below the top of the tube. The snug mounting of the tube in the lid is especially important since the basket is located so far down within the pot, and therefore does not provide a good guiding function as in conventional pots (i.e. U.S. Pat. No. 1,841,150).
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved coffee pot. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.